Piper nigrum
Family: Pepper (Piperaceae)
Green pepper is an unripe harvested corn generally pickled in salt or vinegar brine or freeze-dried using a special procedure immediately after being harvested. Green pepper is very aromatic and there are many ways to use it. Pickled vegetables receive a special flavor from this mild pepper. However, it is good to use it in meat dishes that cook for a long time like game, lamb or pork roast. Since green pepper is soft, it can be used for pastes, marinades and spreads. Strawberries with green pepper is a unique culinary experience.
Black pepper is an unripe harvested green berry which is dries in the sun after being picked. It becomes black and hardens. The spice is sharp and fiery. Use black pepper in sauces, soups and marinades, roasted and grilled meat, ragouts and stews as well as in game, meat fillings and pasta dishes.
White pepper is a red, fully ripe harvested berry that is soaked for about one week before its skin is removed. Then the corns are dried in the sun and gain their distinctive yellow-white color. Since it is finer and milder than the other types of pepper, it complements salads, spicy cottage cheese dishes, light sauces and fish very nicely.
Long pepper belongs to the pepper family as well. It is a tropical climbing plant with about 1 inch long, cone shaped ears which turn light brown when dried. It is as sharp as black pepper, but its taste is simultaneously slightly sweet and sour. Grind or crush in a mortar before using.
Red pepper grows on Brazilian pepper trees all over South America. Fully ripe pink berries are not processed in the same way as black pepper. Its taste is sweet, spicy and only slightly sharp.
Did you know…
Beside salt, pepper corns are the most popular and common spice in most households. Pepper is relatively cheap today, but this has not always been the case. The ancient Greeks knew that pepper stimulates the appetite. During Roman times, pepper was a sign of wealth and prestige because its sharp flavor only seasoned meals in rich households. In ancient Rome, successful merchants who traded spices were called “pepper bags”. During the Middle Ages, pepper was weight in gold. Since pepper is native to countries in the Far East faraway from Europe, an insult developed among European: “Go where peppers grows!”.
Important Warning:
Use red pepper sparingly and keep container containing it away from children. It is poisonous when eaten in large qualities.
Tips for cooking:
Two ground rules: put white pepper in light dishes, black pepper in dark dishes. Cook whole pepper corns in the dish the whole time. When using ground pepper, add it only at the end of cooking.
Biting into a pepper corn can be unpleasant. Therefore, cook pepper corns in a little textile bag or in a tea ball and remove it from the dish before serving.
Family: Pepper (Piperaceae)
Synonyms: Madagascar pepper, common pepper
Forms of use: Fruit (pickled, dried, and ground)
Origin: Pepper is native to the monsoon forests of India. It is cultivated mainly in India, Indonesia and Brazil.
Aroma: Pepper does not smell at all and its taste is sharp and slightly hot.
Use: Next to salt, pepper is a universal spice in European and North American cuisines. It is used to season all savory dishes. Moreover, green pepper seasons sweet dessert like fruit salad, strawberries and chocolate dishes as well. Black pepper is a part of many spice mixes such as curry and quatre epices. It is also used to produce pepper oil essence for perfume.
Buying/ storing: Pepper is available whole or ground in every grocery. If kept in a cool, dark place in an air-proof container, pepper corns should last up to 3 years. An open jar of green pepper corns should be stored in a fridge and will last about 4-6 weeks.
Properties: Pepper grows in the form of berries on an evergreen climbing plant. A wild plant reaches a height of 30 feet, while cultivated varieties are bred to reach only 13 feet in order to make harvest easier. A pepper bush is completely mature when it is about 8 years old. It bears fruit for about 20 years. Spadix-like inflorescences develop into fruits resembling red currants. Depending on the degree of ripeness, berries, are green or red. They are picked in various stage of ripening, according to personal preference, and processed further. Alkaloid piperine is responsible for its hot taste.
Medicinal Use: Because of its sharp flavor, pepper warms up the body, boosting the metabolism and helping digestion by stimulating salivation and digestive juices. Pepper increases appetite and eases flatulence. Piperin contained in pepper is used in some stomach tonics and stomach medicines.
PEPPER SPECIES
Forms of use: Fruit (pickled, dried, and ground)
Origin: Pepper is native to the monsoon forests of India. It is cultivated mainly in India, Indonesia and Brazil.
Aroma: Pepper does not smell at all and its taste is sharp and slightly hot.
Use: Next to salt, pepper is a universal spice in European and North American cuisines. It is used to season all savory dishes. Moreover, green pepper seasons sweet dessert like fruit salad, strawberries and chocolate dishes as well. Black pepper is a part of many spice mixes such as curry and quatre epices. It is also used to produce pepper oil essence for perfume.
Buying/ storing: Pepper is available whole or ground in every grocery. If kept in a cool, dark place in an air-proof container, pepper corns should last up to 3 years. An open jar of green pepper corns should be stored in a fridge and will last about 4-6 weeks.
Properties: Pepper grows in the form of berries on an evergreen climbing plant. A wild plant reaches a height of 30 feet, while cultivated varieties are bred to reach only 13 feet in order to make harvest easier. A pepper bush is completely mature when it is about 8 years old. It bears fruit for about 20 years. Spadix-like inflorescences develop into fruits resembling red currants. Depending on the degree of ripeness, berries, are green or red. They are picked in various stage of ripening, according to personal preference, and processed further. Alkaloid piperine is responsible for its hot taste.
Medicinal Use: Because of its sharp flavor, pepper warms up the body, boosting the metabolism and helping digestion by stimulating salivation and digestive juices. Pepper increases appetite and eases flatulence. Piperin contained in pepper is used in some stomach tonics and stomach medicines.
PEPPER SPECIES
Green pepper is an unripe harvested corn generally pickled in salt or vinegar brine or freeze-dried using a special procedure immediately after being harvested. Green pepper is very aromatic and there are many ways to use it. Pickled vegetables receive a special flavor from this mild pepper. However, it is good to use it in meat dishes that cook for a long time like game, lamb or pork roast. Since green pepper is soft, it can be used for pastes, marinades and spreads. Strawberries with green pepper is a unique culinary experience.
Black pepper is an unripe harvested green berry which is dries in the sun after being picked. It becomes black and hardens. The spice is sharp and fiery. Use black pepper in sauces, soups and marinades, roasted and grilled meat, ragouts and stews as well as in game, meat fillings and pasta dishes.
White pepper is a red, fully ripe harvested berry that is soaked for about one week before its skin is removed. Then the corns are dried in the sun and gain their distinctive yellow-white color. Since it is finer and milder than the other types of pepper, it complements salads, spicy cottage cheese dishes, light sauces and fish very nicely.
Long pepper belongs to the pepper family as well. It is a tropical climbing plant with about 1 inch long, cone shaped ears which turn light brown when dried. It is as sharp as black pepper, but its taste is simultaneously slightly sweet and sour. Grind or crush in a mortar before using.
Red pepper grows on Brazilian pepper trees all over South America. Fully ripe pink berries are not processed in the same way as black pepper. Its taste is sweet, spicy and only slightly sharp.
Did you know…
Beside salt, pepper corns are the most popular and common spice in most households. Pepper is relatively cheap today, but this has not always been the case. The ancient Greeks knew that pepper stimulates the appetite. During Roman times, pepper was a sign of wealth and prestige because its sharp flavor only seasoned meals in rich households. In ancient Rome, successful merchants who traded spices were called “pepper bags”. During the Middle Ages, pepper was weight in gold. Since pepper is native to countries in the Far East faraway from Europe, an insult developed among European: “Go where peppers grows!”.
Important Warning:
Use red pepper sparingly and keep container containing it away from children. It is poisonous when eaten in large qualities.
Tips for cooking:
Two ground rules: put white pepper in light dishes, black pepper in dark dishes. Cook whole pepper corns in the dish the whole time. When using ground pepper, add it only at the end of cooking.
Biting into a pepper corn can be unpleasant. Therefore, cook pepper corns in a little textile bag or in a tea ball and remove it from the dish before serving.
No comments:
Post a Comment